“It got reported strangely,” the director admits. “There were headlines like ‘Judge Orders Murderer to Live With Filmmaker.’ There were jokes immediately on the Internet, like ‘Zodiac Killer Crashing at Fincher’s.’

“Austin’s kind of a garage-apartment town, so it’s not a big deal for me to let Bernie live there while he gets back on his feet,” he continues. “(But it sounded) almost as if the judge had said, ‘OK, you Austin liberal, you want to let him out, well, fine. But he’s got to live with you!”

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As for Tiede, Linklater says he has a therapist, a steady job as a paralegal, and a bicycle (a gift from his new neighbors), and is doing well, although he’s understandably keeping a low profile. And no, he hasn’t yet seen the movie that ended up playing a significant role in his release.

“It’s not like the guy got off or anything,” Linklater says. “Seventeen years is 17 years.”